Nobody's Perfect
by Jessica Charlotte
Summary: Buffy comes back from dead and goes a little crazy. Scoobies try but fail to help. Can Spike help her?
1. one

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Jessica Charlotte  
  
Spoilers: The Gift.  
  
Summary: Buffy comes back from the dead, (But Willow doesn't resurrect her) and  
  
seems to be going a little crazy. The Scoobies try to help her, but get nowhere. Can  
  
Spike accomplish what her friends and family couldn't?  
  
  
  
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It was raining. Water pounding on the ground in an endless rhythm, dark grey  
  
clouds battling for dominance with a black sky. But, then again, it seemed fitting. There  
  
wasn't much to be happy about over the past summer. Definitely nothing to be happy  
  
about at all. Oh, sure, they acted like everything was normal, like everything is the same  
  
as it was five months ago.  
  
  
  
He was walking through a graveyard. His hair was plastered to his forehead.  
  
Water streamed down his face, mingling with his salty tears. He came to a stop before a  
  
tombstone. Reading the inscription for possibly the trillionth time, he dropped his head  
  
to his chest, sobbing earnestly. It wasn't fair. She wasn't supposed to go like that. She  
  
was supposed to die happily and surrounded by loved ones, not alone. The world was  
  
supposed to recognize her achievements. But no, the world was to self- centered to  
  
appreciate her. "Damn the world!" he screamed, sobs and alcohol slurring his speech.  
  
He looked back at the headstone before walking away as sobs engulfed him. Just  
  
minutes after he walked away, a fist shot up from beneath the muddy ground.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Dun dun dunnnn. Who was the mystery man? Whose grave was it? R and R 


	2. two

Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy. [Joss growls from backround, "All of it"]. And Spike.  
  
  
  
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She tore at the earth, fingernails ripping and breaking, muscles aching, fingers  
  
numbing from the ice cold rainwater. With a gasp of air, she dragged herself out of her  
  
confinement and on to the slippery mud and grass. She collapsed on the ground, muddy  
  
water seeping into her eyes, which caused them to tear. She laid there for awhile, gasping  
  
air and choking on water every now and then. She stared through unfocused eyes,  
  
mildly attempting to recognize her surroundings. When the burning in her muscles  
  
subsided and her vision focused somewhat, she slowly pushed herself to the feet and  
  
leaned on what seems to be this gray, chiseled rock next to her. There are black  
  
scribbles on the front. Weird, fuzzy looking things they are. Maybe, just maybe they're  
  
worms? She shuddered at the thought and made a bleching sound. She tested her  
  
balance by pushing off of the wall and venturing a couple of testy steps forward. When  
  
she didn't fall over, a relieved sigh escaped her lips. Looking up at the sky, she noticed  
  
that the rain had stopped and the clouds were evaporating, stars beginning to peek out  
  
shyly. She glanced around, scanning for a nearby crypt or something warm- ish looking  
  
to spend the night. She spotted a rather large crypt twenty yards away and slowly made  
  
her way to it.  
  
@@@@@@  
  
Giles was sitting in the Magick Box, viewing through texts to see if there were  
  
any impending apocalypses to prepare for. He rubbed a hand over his eyes tiredly and  
  
flipped to a random page. Glancing down at it, his eyes widened in shock. He shot up  
  
and rushed to the phone, dialing a number, where, he knew everyone would be.  
  
@@@@@@  
  
The Buffy Bot hurried to the phone and answered it cheerfully, "Hello?" She  
  
paused as she listened to the person on the other line. "Hi Giles." Pause. "Yes Willow is  
  
here." Pause. "Okay, hold on." She left the phone at her ear and yelled as loudly as she  
  
could, "WILLOW! IT'S GILES! HE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"  
  
Willow scurried into the room and took the phone from Buffy Bot, smiling softly  
  
When she could hear Giles wincing from the loudness of the Bots voice. "What's up,  
  
Giles?" Her eyes widened, "What, really? Oh my Goddess! W-when? W- where?  
  
Why?" She paused, her eyes darting around, eyebrows furrowed together. The others  
  
had begun gathering in the kitchen and looked at her expectantly. "O-okay. I'll see you  
  
soon." She looked at them with confused eyes, "G-Giles thinks that," she choked back a  
  
sob. "That, that Bu-Buffy is going to be resurrected."  
  
"Wait what?" Xander demanded. "I mean, it's not like I don't love Buffy, cause I  
  
do. But, if she is coming back, something's got to be wrong. Some impending  
  
apocalypse or something."  
  
Anya chose this moment to speak up, "She could've been in some hell dimension  
  
somewhere and the Powers That Be decided to give her a break."  
  
"Y-you think that Buffy's in some hell dimension somewhere, being t- tortured?" Dawn stammered, tears threatening to spill.  
  
"Oh, of course not sweetie," Tara cooed maternally. "But in order to be prepared  
  
for what might happen, we need to be open to all suggestions. Just because it is a  
  
possibility, it does not mean that it is what happened." She gently tilted Dawn's chin so  
  
that Dawn was looking into her eyes. "Do you understand me, Dawn." Dawn nodded.  
  
"Good." Tara let go of Dawn's chin and turned towards Willow. "Did Giles say why  
  
exactly this is happening?"  
  
"No, but he's heading over here now." The Scoobies proceeded to head into the  
  
living room and sit on the couch and chairs, waiting as patiently as possible. A few  
  
minutes later the door opened. Everyone jumped up, but sat back down when they saw it  
  
was only Spike.  
  
"Umm, Spike," Willow stated uncomfortably.  
  
Spike froze, realizing the tone of her voice and he noticed the tears in Dawn's  
  
eyes. "What?" he questioned. "What's wrong!" The Scoobies remained silent, glancing  
  
at each other nervously. "For god sakes, tell me what the bloody hell is wrong!"  
  
"Oh, for god sakes!" Anya exclaimed in annoyance after the Scoobies remained  
  
silent. "Giles found some prophecy that says that Buffy is supposed to be resurrected.  
  
There. I said what you all were afraid to." She smiled to herself in accomplishment.  
  
"What?" Spike questioned. He began pacing and mumbling, "Oh sod it all to  
  
buggerin' hell. Stupid prophecy and stupid job of slayer." He continued his quiet rants,  
  
being watched warily by the others until Giles came bursting through the door. 


	3. three

Nobody's Perfect  
  
A/N: So sorry for not updating sooner. Special thanxs to blink182sbaby,  
  
InsaneVampiress, and Michelle for the great reviews. And don't worry, there shall be at  
  
least some spuffiness.  
  
Disclaimer: Joss owns BTVS and ATS. No matter how many people beg for custody of  
  
Spike, he refuses.  
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She stumbled into the crypt, and was surprised at what she found. It was really a  
  
rather homey place, really. There was an old TV, a couch, refrigerator, and a lot of  
  
candles. Many, many candles. They smelled good. Her attention was drawn to  
  
something that resembled a carpet, but it was hard and made of wood. A loop of rope  
  
was attached to the top of it. She grasped the loop and yanked with all her might. It flew  
  
opened and landed on the stone floor with a bang, revealing a ladder. She stumbled and  
  
tripped her way down, wearily regaining her footing at the bottom. More candles.  
  
These also smelled good. What did it smell like? It was very familiar, yet she couldn't  
  
place it. Her eyelids drooped and she spun slowly, taking in the rest of the room.  
  
Candles, candles, chair, bookshelf, candles, candles, bed.. Wait, bed? She looked  
  
Sharply back at the bed and sighed happily. It looked so warm and inviting. She  
  
shuffled at a snails pace until she finally reached the bed and collapsed, her world fading  
  
black. She didn't wake when her body slipped from the bed and crumpled on the floor.  
  
@@@@@@  
  
Spike continued to pace like a caged panther while Giles repeated the prophecy.  
  
"Are you bloody sure she's supposed to be resurrected?" he demanded, his pace pausing  
  
as he looked questioningly at Giles.  
  
Growing agitated by Spike's sudden ignorance, "Yes, Spike. I am absolutely  
  
positive!"  
  
"Okay," Xander spoke up. "Is it just me, or does this give anyone else the  
  
wiggins?"  
  
Anya replied comfortingly, patting his arm, "It's just you, honey. Maybe you're  
  
going crazy? I wonder if Buffy will go crazy? She might you know. She would  
  
certainly--"  
  
"Why would Buffy go crazy?" Willow demanded, suddenly alarmed.  
  
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Anya paused, waiting for a reply. But when none came,  
  
she continued, "It seems more than likely that she'll have to dig her way out of her  
  
grave." A collection of gasps and a 'bloody hell' interrupted her. "I mean, it's not like the  
  
Powers That Be have ever given her the easy way out. Hasn't she died twice now?"  
  
"Oh god!" Xander moaned, shuddering at the thought of digging his way out of a  
  
grave.  
  
"I remember digging myself out of my grave," Spike said thoughtfully. He shook  
  
his head to clear it and grimaced, "Bloody barrel of monkeys that was."  
  
Dawn's breath hitched in her throat, "We have to help her!"  
  
Everyone except Spike started talking at once about what their course of action  
  
should be. Xander was insisting that he was the most prepared because of his military  
  
training. Willow declared she was the best person because of her witchiness, as was  
  
Tara. Dawn, because she was Buffy's sister. Giles, as Buffy's watcher. Anya, as she was  
  
the oldest of them all and has caused the most gore, and she was an excellent money  
  
keeper.  
  
Spike scrubbed a hand over his eyes before booming, "Enough!" The room went  
  
silent. "Watcher, when exactly did this prophecy say Buffy was supposed to have been  
  
resurrected? Do you even bloody know?"  
  
Giles sighed and shook his head, "As always, the prophecies have to be cryptic."  
  
"So she could've already risen?" Tara asked softly. Giles nodded solemnly. Tara  
  
choked on a sob, and her hand flew to her mouth, "Oh goddess."  
  
Spike suddenly became the leader, and as he barked out directions, no one  
  
questioned him, not even Xander. They split up into pairs, Willow and Tara, Xander and  
  
Giles, Anya and Dawn were to stay home, and Spike was by himself. The groups went  
  
into different cemeteries and sought her out. Spike went to the one with her tombstone  
  
and his crypt, he was the one most likely to be able to track her scent. Willow and Tara  
  
were working on a locator spell, and Xander and Giles were traveling as quickly as they  
  
could through the other cemeteries.  
  
Spike reached her grave and looked down in despair. It was too late, she was  
  
already resurrected. He paused, remembering back to when he dug out of his grave. He  
  
was very tired and just wanted a bed and to sleep. "If I were the slayer, exhausted and  
  
confused, where would I go to get a good nights sleep?" he asked himself, studying her  
  
grave. He looked up and saw a crypt, his crypt. He ran a shaky hand through his hair  
  
before taking off in the direction of his crypt. 


	4. four

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Jessica Charlotte  
  
A/N: Sorry, so sorry for not updating sooner. It's just that I needed to find the right  
  
wordings for this chapter.  
  
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Spike entered his crypt cautiously, glancing around the tombstones and furniture  
  
for anything out of place. He closed his eyes and a single tear leaked out as a whiff of a  
  
slightly familiar scent tickled his nose. He walked towards the entrance to the lower  
  
level, not entirely surprised to find the door open. He lightly stepped down the ladder  
  
and the muscles in his chest tightened as he saw a limp, soaking wet form lying in a  
  
crumpled heap on the floor. His knees gave way under him and he fell to the ground with  
  
a thud as sobs racked his body as he looked at his beloved, a girl he thought he'd never  
  
see again.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
The rest of the Scoobies had returned home, feeling discouraged at not finding  
  
their friend. One by one, they found spots amongst the living room, and vainly tried to  
  
comfort each other. "H-has anyone seen Spike?" Tara ventured softly after a long period  
  
of silence. The others shook their heads and the group lapsed into silence once more.  
  
@@@@@@@@@@@@  
  
Spike had stopped crying a while ago, and now just stared blankly at Buffy. She  
  
didn't look like she had when he first met her. Her eyes had sunken back into her skull,  
  
and her ratted hair had long since lost its luster. She looked more like the girl who had  
  
gone down saving the world last spring then the bubbly high school girl. He was tempted  
  
to wake her, to find out if she remembered him, yet he was afraid of what the answer  
  
might be. He longed to hear her voice, to see her emerald eyes twinkling at a pathetic  
  
joke that Xander had told. He wanted to make her smile, to feel her soft lips on his once  
  
again. As his internal battle warred on, he almost didn't realize that her body began to  
  
stir. He intently watched her, in fear and awe as her eyes fluttered open and she rolled  
  
onto her back, staring blankly at the stone ceiling. She remained in that position, not  
  
moving, and finally, Spike had to say something.  
  
"Buffy?" he asked hoarsely. "Pet?"  
  
She sat up instantly, pulling her knees into her chest and glancing around wildly.  
  
When her eyes fell on Spike, they widened in recognition, "S-Spike?" she stuttered in a  
  
tiny voice.  
  
He instantly moved over to her and pulled her onto his lap, holding her tightly, as  
  
if he loosened his grip, she would slip away from him. "Shh," he whispered into her hair,  
  
"I'm here, I've got you, love." He slowly rocked back and forth in a calming rhythm. After a few minutes, her muscles relaxed and he continued rocking back and forth. 


	5. five

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Daydreamer  
  
A/N: thanxs for being so patient...and thanxs for the reviews!!!  
  
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Spike walked to the Summer's home slowly. Buffy limply lay in his arms, her  
  
head curled under his. He slinked up the stairs gracefully, cautious not to wake his  
  
slayer. Using the toe of his boot, he kicked the door several times. Xander opened the  
  
door and gasped loudly, "Buffy! Oh, God, is she okay?"  
  
Spike winced as he heard loud voices from the living room and the sound of  
  
several people jumping up. "Shh!" he hissed loudly, "Can't you bloody morons tell that  
  
she's asleep?" The voices hushed and he continued into the living room, hearing the  
  
quiet click of the front door closing behind him. He gently lay her down on the couch,  
  
pausing to brush some matted hair out of her face before he stood up.  
  
Hushed questions were assaulted at him the minute he was fully upright. He  
  
rolled his eyes before saying, "I don't know." The others looked at him strangely and he  
  
elaborated, "It's impossible to hear what a bloody one of you was saying over one  
  
another and I don't know the answers to your bloody questions. She was already risen  
  
when I got to her grave and when I found her she was asleep. That's all I know. Your  
  
questions should be directed toward the slayer, not me."  
  
The scoobies migrated out of the living room to discuss and Dawn was left to  
  
stare at her sister. She was about to leave when her sister started thrashing around in her  
  
sleep, in the throes of a nightmare. "Spike!" she called, her eyes glued to her convulsing  
  
sister.  
  
Spike dashed into the room and in a heartbeat was at the couch, shaking Buffy's  
  
shoulders. "Wake up, love. It's just a bad dream. It's all right, I'm here now. I'm here."  
  
Buffy's eyes shot open and she sat up abruptly, looking at the others rushing to  
  
the door. She looked around wildly, backing away from Spike and the others until she  
  
toppled over the armrest and hit the floor with a thud. In an instant she was on her feet,  
  
muscles tensed, backing away from the others as she glared at the Scoobies with fear and  
  
contempt. She looked over at Spike and froze. Reaching her hand out to him, she said,  
  
"We have to go! Come on, what are you waiting for?" Her eyes kept shifting between  
  
the shell-shocked Scoobies and Spike.  
  
"Go where, Buffy? We're safe here." Spike was confused. The only people he  
  
had seen with that look of fear and hatred were the people who had been tortured by  
  
Angelus at the mansion. And since the Scoobies hadn't tortured her, why was she so  
  
scared of them?  
  
Willow had edged toward Buffy and grabbed her two shoulders, looking the  
  
Slayer in the eye. "Buffy, it's me-"  
  
Buffy threw Willow off of her and Willow's head hit the corner of the coffee  
  
table, knocking her out cold. Xander rushed her but was evilly thrown into a bookshelf.  
  
With a hurt look sent Spike's way, she ran and jumped through the window, glittering  
  
glass falling to ground around her as she disappeared into the blackness of the night.  
  
A/N: hope you guys enjoyed. As a warning—this story seems to be leading me on a path less crazy than I had originally intended, but Buffy will still be rabid and loony, not to worry. 


	6. six

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Jessica Charlotte  
  
A/N: I know. I'm a horrid person. Bad me. Sorry for taking so damn long. But school is over in a couple of weeks, so YAY! Many more updates shall occur. Including all of the brilliant new story ideas I have discovered (seemingly more original than many of my current ones-although I do believe that these, even though they share similar 'plots'...are very different than all of my other ones). And there shall also be updates on DayDreamer...so keep your eye out for a new chapter/check it out if you haven't! Sorry again....I'm not even going to have a disclaimer....although the same thoughts and feelings are shared regarding the whole situation.  
  
On with the story....  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Spike was walking through the cemetery; the only sounds were the chirping  
  
crickets and his boots crunching down on the occasional leaf or twig. There was no  
  
breeze. No demons or vampires lurking about. No adventurous teenagers. It was as if  
  
the night was dead. "Well," Spike muttered to himself, "No shit, Sherlock. It is a bloody  
  
graveyard after all." It had been three nights and two hours since Buffy had disappeared.  
  
Every night he had been out searching, and he hadn't been able to track her. That's what  
  
scared him the most. The fact that he couldn't smell her. Willow and Tara had cast a  
  
locator spell, which hadn't worked. He refused to believe it, but his subconscious  
  
continuously murmured dreadful things, like the idea that Buffy was dead. But, he  
  
refused to believe that, and continued searching. He was slinking around town and it  
  
happened. He caught a whiff of her scent. Truth be told, it wasn't exactly her scent. It  
  
was darker, the cheerful innocence replaced by violence tinged with heartbreak and  
  
loneliness. But it was her, it had to be her. He had never smelled a person with the scent  
  
of vanilla, cinnamon, and blood until he met Buffy. No one since he met her. So it had  
  
to be her. He tracked the scent across town, spending hours standing in the same spot  
  
until another whiff would waft by his nose. He tracked that scent to the cemetery he was  
  
currently standing in. It was usually pretty active. But it was a graveyard that night. He  
  
should have been able to hear her heartbeat it was so quiet. But he couldn't. He couldn't  
  
even breathe. Not when he was so close to her, but so impossibly far away.  
  
"Buffy!" he called, waiting for anything. Something. A breath, an answer. And  
  
he got it.  
  
Spike suddenly pivoted around and came toe to toe with the slayer. "Hello, Spike," Buffy said in a steely voice.  
  
"Thank God! You scared me half to death, Slayer. What the bloody hell was  
  
with the disappearing act the other night? If my heart was still beating, you would have  
  
given me a heart attack. And your mates, they've been worried sick. Especially the Bit."  
  
He would have continued ranting, but Buffy cut him off. "No! Don't lie to  
  
me. You think I'm stupid? You're on their side. On it's side." She sighed in panicked  
  
exasperation, "Jeez! Why am I even talking to you? You're not real. You're just one of  
  
it's mind games! I could understand the others, you taking the others and using them to  
  
break me. But you couldn't control him. Spike was the one person you couldn't  
  
control." She chuckled humorlessly before saying in a frighteningly low and melancholy  
  
voice, "But you found away around that, didn't you?"  
  
"Buffy, luv, I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about!"  
  
"Liar. Don't you dare patronize me, you son of a bitch. You think that turning  
  
him against me will break me? Well guess what, you are pretty damn crappy in the  
  
torture department. I became immune to your attacks, I'm beyond the breaking point. I  
  
broke years ago! Years ago, a time that you weren't even around to make me miserable.  
  
Death is supposed to be my gift, remember? So, why don't we just do the whole fighting  
  
bit, then I can go somewhere where you can't find me and lick my wounds before you  
  
attack again. That seems to be what you like, isn't it?"  
  
Silhouettes appeared, closing in on the two blondes. As the figures stepped into the moonlight, Buffy saw that it was the Scoobies. She looked incredulously at Spike, "How the hell did you manage to represent all of them at once? You fucking bastard, I swear to God that I'll-" Xander slammed a concrete slab on the back of her head.  
  
"Sorry, Buff," he murmured.  
  
A/N: now would be an excellent time to review (hint hint) 


	7. seven

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Jessica Charlotte  
  
A/N: Well, thanks for the reviews. They are much appreciated. I've been having a major case of writer's block regarding a few of my stories....so they might not be updated for a while....but until then, I shall continue to update the stories that I am not having writer's block with, like this one. And sorry in advance for any minor mis-spellings and whatnot. As soon as I finished this chapter, I uploaded it.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"What are we going to do with her?" asked Willow in a meek voice.  
  
Giles took off his glasses and began polishing them, "Well, I think that it is in  
  
order to discover where she was and why she's come back. Once we learn that, I feel that  
  
it will be an easier path."  
  
"And that's a great idea. One little problem though. She isn't talking." Xander  
  
pointed out, the hysteria rising in his voice. Off of the glares that he got from Willow and  
  
Anya, he continued. "I'm so sorry, not trying to put a damper on the situation, but we  
  
have Buffy chained in Giles' bathtub. Buffy. Our friend. I mean, what twisted  
  
dimension are we living in now days?"  
  
"I think she was in a hell dimension," Spike stated in a grave tone.  
  
"And what makes you think that, Spike?" Giles asked, sending Spike a cold look.  
  
"Well, before you lot arrived, she was saying some things. And the portal she  
  
jumped into was one linked to a hell dimension."  
  
Dawn finally spoke up, "What kinds of things was she saying?"  
  
"Dawn," Giles started gently, "Perhaps you should go upstairs for now."  
  
"No! She's my sister, I have a right to know what's going on."  
  
"Very well then," Giles sat down and knocked back a glass of scotch. "Please  
  
continue, Spike."  
  
"She thought that someone or something had taken over my appearance. That I  
  
was the only one that he hadn't been able to control. That whatever she thought I was  
  
had managed to take all of your appearances and use them against her, except for mine."  
  
Willow gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my. I guess that would  
  
explain why she wasn't so happy to see us."  
  
"Well, what are we going to do now?" Anya asked. A few people stared at her  
  
blankly. "It seems to me that just talking to her and telling her that we aren't the enemy  
  
won't work. So what are we going to do?"  
  
"Well, we can't just bloody leave her bloody chained in a buggerin bathtub for all  
  
eternity!" Spike shouted in annoyance.  
  
"At the moment we don't seem to have any other options. Unless that is you have  
  
any suggestions?" Giles questioned tiredly.  
  
Spike slumped in his seat miserably. "No. I don't. What I do know is that it won't do  
  
any good for all of us to argue over something we don't know and it's way to late for  
  
research."  
  
"I guess we should all go home then?" Xander asked. The Scoobies got up and  
  
said their goodbyes, disappearing into the night.  
  
"Um, Giles?" Dawn asked softly. "If you don't mind, I would kind of like to  
  
spend the night here and be with Buffy."  
  
"Of course I don't mind. I'm guessing you would like the same Spike?" He  
  
nodded. "Very well. I'll bring down some blankets."  
  
Spike sat up. The clock on Giles' television said that it was three in the morning.  
  
He honed his senses to pick up any noises that would have woken him up. Dawn was  
  
snoring lightly on the couch, Giles was asleep upstairs, it was quiet.  
  
He had lain back down and was drifting off to sleep when he heard it again.  
  
Realization dawned on his face as he placed what the sound was. Metal chains clinking  
  
on Giles' bathtub.  
  
Silently, he stood up and crept stealthily down the hall, pausing outside the  
  
bathroom door. He entered the bathroom as silently as he could, closing the door behind  
  
him. He looked at Buffy, who was clearly in the throes of a nightmare. She was tossing  
  
and turning, squirming herself into uncomfortable positions as she tried to escape from  
  
whatever was hurting her. He slid his duster off of his shoulders, and draped it over the  
  
whimpering slayer. He sat down next to the tub, leant his arm on the edge of the tub, and  
  
rested his head against his arm, drifting into an uneasy sleep.  
  
Buffy jolted awake. Looking around at her surroundings, memories of recent  
  
events took place of the cobwebs in her brain. She scrunched herself into a tighter ball as  
  
she shivered slightly. Looking down at herself, she was surprised to see a long leather  
  
jacket draped over her body. Looking around more carefully, she tensed when she saw a  
  
blond head and an arm next to her, slowly slipping off of the edge of the tub. She eyed  
  
him warily, and once his head hit the floor he sat bolt upright, mumbling something about  
  
tacky clothes.  
  
Running his hand over his face, he looked at her, catching her afraid eyes in his  
  
own. "Oh, luv," he sighed sadly. "What can I do to convince you that you're safe now.  
  
That you aren't wherever you were."  
  
She looked away before softly murmuring, "Is it even possible? Am I really  
  
safe?"  
  
He caught her chin in his hands, gently forcing her to look at him. "You're safe.  
  
Anything that tries to hurt you will have to go through me first." Seeing the hopeful and  
  
unsure look in her eyes he added, "'Til the end of the world."  
  
Tears welled up in her eyes, and in a millisecond, loud hysterical sobs racked her  
  
body as the hard shell she had built around herself shattered. In an instant Spike was  
  
standing up, cradling the crying woman in his arms. He sat down in her place, and laid  
  
her on top of him, his arms snaking around her in comfort. Long after she was asleep,  
  
did he allow his own eyes to drift shut. 


	8. eight

Nobody's Perfect  
  
Jessica Charlotte  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Buffy's eyes drifted open groggily. Her wrists were in manacles that attached to  
  
the ceiling above her, her ankles chained together and to the ground. Her head felt like  
  
someone smacked it with a hammer, or at least something as heavy as a hammer. She  
  
tested her restraints, but sighed in defeat when she realized that they weren't going to  
  
budge. Looking around, she realized that she was in a cave, much like the ones that  
  
could be found on the outskirts of Sunnydale. Her muscles tensed up in fear as she heard  
  
footsteps growing closer with each second. Looking towards the cave opening, she saw  
  
Willow enter. Sweet, innocent looking Willow. In a pink pastel, knee- length skirt with  
  
matching tights, a baggy light blue sweater with big colorful flowers on it, and plain  
  
white tennis shoes. Her long red hair was down and smooth, looking every bit like a  
  
shampoo commercial.  
  
She walked up to where Buffy was standing. "Hi, Buffy!" she said cheerfully, not  
  
noticing that Buffy was chained. "How was your weekend?"  
  
The location changed to the high school, now she was chained against a row of  
  
lockers. A lock to one of them was digging into her back. Students were milling around,  
  
greeting each other and going to their classes. Xander walked up to them, his hands in  
  
the front pockets of his pants. "So, what's the what guys?"  
  
Again, Buffy yanked on her restraints, to no avail. "Guys, you have to get out of  
  
here. Something bad is happening, find Giles!"  
  
Giles came up, dressed in torn jeans and a plain white tee shirt. "Why would they  
  
need to find me, Buffy? I'm right here." He pulled out a wicked looking knife. That  
  
was slightly on the dull side.  
  
While her friends looked on cheerfully, Giles slammed the blade into her  
  
stomach. In horror, Buffy glanced around, looking at Xander, who rocked from his toes  
  
to his heels in glee, and Willow, who ecstatically gave her the thumbs up.  
  
"Giles," Willow started uncertainly, "Do you think I could help?"  
  
Giles shrugged, "Sure, I need a bloody smoke anyway." He stepped back and  
  
handed Willow the knife.  
  
Buffy tried not to feel, tried to focus on other things, like why the halls were  
  
slowly emptying of students, and why Xander had walked up to her, screaming at her to  
  
wake up. She felt his palm connect with her cheek, and she closed her eyes to escape.  
  
When she opened them again, she was in Giles' bathtub, her wrists still manacled,  
  
dried tear tracks streaked across her face, and her cheek stung slightly. Most importantly,  
  
Xander was standing above her, his face unreadable. Cowering, she whimpered, and  
  
tried to press herself as far down as she could in the bathtub. She squeezed her eyes shut,  
  
and held her breath, barely acknowledging the sound of another enter the room, and an  
  
argument.  
  
Once it was quiet, she felt a hand petting her hair. "Oh, luv. I'm so sorry."  
  
She looked up at Spike fearfully. She winced before looking down at her wrists.  
  
He followed her stare, and forced himself to swallow the lump that formed in his throat at  
  
the sight of her raw and chafed wrists.  
  
He looked at her seriously, "If I unchain you, are you going to run away from  
  
me?"  
  
She returned his penetrating stare. "Not from you, never from you."  
  
"Alright then." 


End file.
